People over complicate closing the sale. Sales teachers and coaches in the past have tried to give us a myriad of wonderfully named closing techniques. Some sales people have a fear of closing. Sometimes (and this is certainly something I've felt) the adrenaline begins to flow, your heart starts beating faster, you start feeling a little nervous as you feel that you're moving towards a close. You can almost taste the sale and the joy that will bring BUT you have to close it.
So in this section I'll show you the How To Sell Coach Top Sales Closing Techniques
I remember being on sales courses in years gone by and you'd always fine someone who would tell you they knew 127 ways to close a sale. "Well done you!" I would generally say as I looked round for someone else to talk to. So, let's go through some closing techniques - I'll even give some views on some of the 'wonderfully named' ones I talked about before. Just for fun, and to get the juices flowing, here's Zig Ziglar telling a great story about the 'Shame Close' and the 'Extra Close.'
(Part of the reason I put this in was it reminded me of the last suit I bought. The salesman was very attentive - we took the time to choose just the right colour and cut. I thought I was looking and more importantly feeling pretty good.
We both stood side by side admiring the new suit in the mirror and at the very same time looked down at my shoes. We looked up, then back down again and quietly the salesman turned to me and asked, "Shoe department?" I nodded as he led me off. With two words I had been both 'shame' and 'extra' closed at the same time! Well there you go.)
OK, let's begin....................
You've got to ask for the order. There's no point doing the best sales preparation and presentation if you don't ask for the sale. Remember, your customer is expecting you to close - that's the way this sales thing goes. So don't disappoint him - ask for the order, close the sale.
The Alternative Close
Or the King of Closes as I like to call it. One the most used and one of the most successful. This is where you give the customer a choice of outcomes or alternative outcome but the important thing here to remember is that either choice is acceptable to you. For example, if you were selling a car you may say:
"Would you prefer it in red or blue."
"Shall I have it delivered to you on Monday or is Tuesday better for you?"
How To Sell Coach Tip When using the Alternative Close - don't give too many alternatives. Two is best, three at the very most but any more than this will only serve to confuse matters. As ever, keep it simple.
I read an article recently saying that the Alternative Close was old fashioned, sharp selling technique and that most customers are aware of it. Clearly I don't agree. ANY sales technique can be performed badly or too soon in the sale but when used effectively, it's as good as any close and better than most.
Let me give you and example of a bad Alternative close. This is one that I did on my second ever training course (and it troubles me still!! I need to let it go.)
Long story short, I had to sell a brief case to a sales trainer taking is first ever sales course. We'd gone through the approach and was in the middle of the presentation when out of the blue the asked, "Do you only do it in black?" I replied, "No we do it in black and brown, which would you prefer?"
The trainer was taken off guard in in his confusion said, "I like black." So I closed the sale and walked off. Now while this did amuse my colleagues round the table how did it leave the customer feeling? Good about me or the product? Feeling that he had been suckered?
Anyway, the trainer must have been up all night preparing objections for my presentation the next day because I certainly got them. And rightly. So, as with any close, don't be tempted to close too soon. Remember your building a relationship here with a customer who you may hope to sell to again and refer you to others in the future.
The Assumptive Close
The Assumptive Close can be used when, as a result of the customers reaction to your sales presentation, you are in a position to assume they will place an order. So rather than asking for the order, you a stage beyond that and use language that accepts that the order will be place or the sale has been made. For example:
"That's good, I'll arrange delivery for Monday morning."
"I'll process the order for you this afternoon."
"I'll get to work on the artwork for you now and make sure your advertisement arrears on Tuesday."
"How would you prefer to pay. Cash or is credit card better for you?" (An Assumptive and Alternative.)
The key with the Assumptive Close is not to close too soon. You can appear pushy or trying to rush the customer into a decision. You need to have had some clear buying signals during the presentation before you can go into the close.
I believe that most types of close derive from the Alternative or Assumptive Closes. Others, more often than not, I would call pre-closes. At the end you still have to ask for the order.
The Puppy Dog Close
OK, OK I hear what your saying, "The Puppy Dog Close! Who uses that today?" The answer is everyone and if you're not, you should. The Puppy Dog Close dates back to the days when street hawkers used to sell puppies from boxes tied round their neck with a piece of string.
The theory being that a family are out for a walk and the youngest sees this box full of puppies. The seller clocks this from a mile off so when the child stops to stroke the puppy, the seller hand one to them. Now let see the parents try to take the puppy from the child and give it back. No chance, sale made.
Now let's put that into today's world. Have you ever been in a showroom to buy a new car? The sales person sits you in that gleaming car of you dreams. You feel to soft leather beneath you. You smell the newness of the interior. You look out to see the beautiful shinny paintwork. You turn the key and the engine purrs like a contented cat.................................then you get back into your old bin of a car. Hmm!
The whole point of the Puppy Dog Close is to let you customer touch and feel the product. Use all their senses to experience the product. To see themselves owning the product. All the while you are pointing out the relevant Features and Benefits of your product.
This close can be used in any situation, better if you have a tangible product clearly but let them get their hand on. If your the one doing the demonstration, you customer is not getting the whole experience so, put in their hands and make it difficult for them to give you it back!
The Balance Sheet Close
The Balance Sheet Close goes by a number of different names but forgetting all that, I'll just tell you what it is and how to use it. The purpose of this close it to get on one sheet of paper any objection that you customer may have and outweigh or overcome them with the Features and Benefits of your product.
The Mechanics of how the Balance Sheet Close works.
OK, you're in a sales presentation with a customer and clearly they are not yet at the point of making a buyiny decision. They are hesitent, rubbing their chin, generally looking uncertain. So, what to do (I'll just give you some form of words as an example, clearly you should use your own word and develop your own style.)
You: "If you don't mind me saying, I can see that you're not sure about one or to points. What is it that your unsure of?"
Customer: "Well there are a number of clear benefit of you product to my business but there are also one or two points that I'm not happy with."
You: "I understand how important it is for your business to make the right decision. One thing I find useful is to just list down the things you not clear on and the thing your happy with and we can go through them together.
At that point you take a blank sheet of paper and draw a large 'T' on it, as if you were preparing a Balance Sheet. On the right side of the balace sheet put a positive heading where you will list all the things the customer likes about your product. On the left side, the negative heading where you wil list the poits he is unsure of.
(Note: please be careful about your choice of headings. Don't use words like 'pros' and 'cons.')
Now here a How To Sell Coach Top Tip on using the Balance Sheet Close
Clearly you want the positive side of the Balance Sheet to be significantly longer than the negative side. So when your getting your customer to list all the things he likes about your product, then give him as much help as possible.
Going back to your presentation, you can pick the points that you know he liked and ask, "What did you thinh about that feature or that benefit?" Then write it down.
When your going through the negative side - leave him to it. Don't prompt or help. It may be useful to give him the first one (particularly if you know it's one to easily overcome.) So you may say, "I remember you made this point, so let's write it down."
This will let the customer feel that you want to be helpful but after that, leave him to it.
Once everything has been listed, draw two lines under the Balance Sheet. This let's him know that the list has been completed and therefore it would be difficult for him to add any further objection to it.
The Balance Sheet Close is an excellent way of getting all the objections on the table at one time and therefore gives you the opportunity to go throught them one by one and overcome or outweigh them.
Another Top Tip
As you go though the objections or point your customer in unsure of, tick them off to let your customer know that point has been dealt with. (don't cross them out as that could be seen as dismissive and isn't as positive.)
I used this when I was asking the owner of a company I worked for to take on an additional salesperson. We we in the boardroom and I used two flip charts to list the points. It worked!
